Motif #6 and Holy Holly Kaleidoscope!

Igoya, my twin sister, granted me permission to post this image. She created it from a photo of an ice-glazed holly bush in her front yard, using a software program called Kaleidoscope Kreator 3.

Does this image inspire you? It inspires me. Wouldn't it make an amazing tatted snowflake?

If you think this image should be made into greeting cards, please leave Igoya a comment at her Etsy shop or here.

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First Snowflake
For Tatting Tea Tuesday, I'm working on partridges
and Wendy Durell's 4 Ring Snowflake while sipping Snowberry Tea.

4 Ring Snowflake
© 2009 Wendy Durell

This auspicious flake is the first one I have ever attempted that actually was completed in time for holiday gift-giving.

It was made using "Signature" thread from Japan. It is a long staple Egyptian cotton quilting thread that comes in several solids as well as variegated colors. The color is M07 - Pastels. It is pale enough for snowflakes, but would also be divine tatted up for baby.

I am counting this snowflake as motif number six (6) in my 25 motif challenge.

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Secret Revealed: Ornaments

Today I sit down with a fresh-made pot of aromatic Tazo^® Passion and Celestial Seasonings^® Moroccan Pomegranate Red tea to work on holiday tatting projects and catch up on backlogged blog posts.

First things first, revealing the project I alluded to in my December 2nd post  — partridges for my purple-themed holiday tree. See one peeking coyly over her shoulder? Isn't she a beauty? I think the cardinal is jealous.

The idea was to create partridges and pears out of wool felt. For a pattern I started with a screen capture of the cartoon partridge from the 70's sitcom, The Partridge Family.  (The opening sequence with the theme song is available on YouTube.) From there it was easy to make pattern pieces.

Partridge Pattern Pieces
Here is a flat scan of the tatted wings. I added a few glass beads to give it some sparkle. Tatman's shuttle motif adds just the right je ne sais quoi to make this handmade bird stand out.

Partridge Wings with TattingShuttle Motif © 2002 Mark Myers

What about the pears?

For these, I used a wool knit fabric the color of red Anjou pears. Then I added needle felted roving to add dimension. It was my first attempt at needle felting and it was a lot of fun to do. I made six of these last year and ended up giving them all away to friends who fell in love with them. So I made more this year.

Needle-felted Pear Ornament
The pattern for this comes from the book Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects, by Betz White, in case you want to try your hand at making them too.

I love how my Anjou pear turned out. Even if you've never needle felted before (like me) you can do it and it will look good! Plus the stabbing motion made with the felting needle helps relieve pent-up holiday tension. LOL!

My goal for 2010 is to showcase tatting in more mixed media projects. Wishing you all successful and joyful holiday crafting in the days and weeks to come!